>>>> When I took a USDF dressage judging weekend class the question of a horse that is winging came up. We were told that this absolutely shouldn't be a consideration in the score because this is not what they are being judged on.
In sport, yes, conformation isn't a criteria...but have you ever looked at the FEIF breeding evaluation rules and scoring? Conformation is only 40% of a horse's total score, and legs are a small percentage of the conformation score. With "ridden abilities" being 60% of the score, that leaves a lot of leeway for a horse with weak conformation in the most critical body parts to still get a high score. And no matter how many times I read and reread the FEIF breeding evaluation rules, I can't get a feeling whether the leg traits that I value most are weighted much at all. I've seen a few highly evaluated horses who have questionable legs, and that worries me no end. And of course, we all know that WAY too often, people breed to what wins in the show ring, no matter what breed. As much winging as we see in the competition and evaluated horses, I've never heard it mentioned much by the folks who are into competition...many thanks to Mic for recently voluntarily noting her Skessa's winging. Skessa isn't a competition horse (that I'm aware of) but it's nice to see someone freely bring up a less-than-ideal conformation example, without someone threatening to eat the beast. Skessa certainly seems valuable to Mic for the mare's unique qualities, and that's wonderful - a lot of us have our own less-than-perfect "perfect ponies". We can certainly love our horses without denying their idiosyncrasies. :) Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.487 / Virus Database: 269.13.22/1015 - Release Date: 9/18/2007 11:53 AM
